Five things you can do to get ahead as a non-law student

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Non-law students often worry that their degree is an invisible barrier between themselves and the legal profession. This simply isn’t true.

Your non-law degree will equip you with transferable skills and experiences from other fields that law firms want to see in future trainees. The trick to getting ahead is to use these to your advantage and make the most of the opportunities offered to you throughout your studies.  

With this in mind, here are five things you can do to help secure your dream legal job.

Check out our Non-law hub for everything you need to know about converting to law.

1. Research and understand the career path

Understanding the various routes into law, as well as the profession as a whole, is important for all aspiring lawyers.

First, consider whether you want to work with a team of like-minded lawyers as a solicitor in a law firm or more independently at the Bar as a barrister.

Find out more about the difference between solicitors and barristers.

Do you want to work in a small high-street firm, a City firm, or an international or boutique firm? There are several types of law firm, so take some time to understand the different types and what they offer. Consider what you can bring to these firms and whether you can see yourself building a career at one of them. Alternatively, if you’re more interested in becoming a barrister, think about the type of chambers that would best suit you and your career goals.  

You should also research the different areas of law. In some practice areas, your non-law background could be an advantage. For example, Sam Harvey, associate at Bristows LLP, explains that his physics degree has enabled him to “pick up work broadly within the technology sector”. Similarly, Antonia Eklund, barrister at Blackstone Chambers, notes that she’s used her languages degree when travelling to Brazil to work on a case: “I received mixed views when I was applying to the Bar as to whether I’d end up using my languages, and I have been happy to see that it’s possible to do so, even at an early stage.”  

You can read our solicitor and barrister practice area profiles for exclusive insights from those in the profession – they share their journeys into the law and reveal how they came to specialise in a particular practice area. That said, keep an open mind for now as you don’t want to pigeonhole yourself into a specific area of law that, in practice, is very different to how you’d imagined it’d be.

In terms of applications, as a non-law student, you can start applying for vacation schemes in the final year of your degree, with some firms offering non-law-specific schemes. Mini-pupillages are also available for non-law students considering the barrister route. Those looking to pursue a career as a barrister should check for mini-pupillages throughout the year, with a number of chambers running mini-pupillages between February and May.

Use LawCareers.Net’s vacation scheme, training contract and pupillage deadlines pages to make sure you don’t miss an important deadline.

For more information on vacation schemes and when you should apply, read this Oracle. Plus, find out what a mini-pupillage is and what are the benefits of doing one. 

2. Get some work experience and attend events

On top of vacation schemes and mini-pupillages, getting as much legal or non-legal work experience as you can will be hugely beneficial to your future applications.

Snippets of experience like this will give you a taste of what it’s like to work in the profession and might help making the decision between barrister and solicitor that little bit more straightforward. You can ask your local firm if you can shadow a lawyer for a day or attend networking events such as LawCareersNetLIVE, our annual legal careers conference.

Pro bono is another excellent way to gain legal experience while also providing legal services to those in need.

You can find a list of pro-bono and volunteering initiatives on LawCareers.Net and learn how to find the right scheme for you.

Non-legal work experience is also an important aspect of an aspiring lawyer’s journey into the profession. By providing you with the opportunity to develop key skills that can be transferred to a career in law, non-law work experience will help you to become a well-rounded individual, making you a more appealing candidate for your future employer. Think about how you can use your non-law-related work experience to stand out and add depth to your CV, and highlight the unique skills that you can bring to the profession.

Read these Meet the Recruiter interviews to find out what experiences recruiters want to hear about.

Aside from work experience, there are additional ways to get to know a law firm (or chambers) and speak to its lawyers, including law fairs, webinars and open days. Make sure you conduct some research before attending these types of event to ensure you’re prepared to ask relevant questions that will help you stand out from the rest of the candidates. You should also think about creating a list of law firms/chambers you want to speak to if you can see which ones will be in attendance.

Learn how to write the perfect cover letter, CV or application form.

3. Listen to podcasts to develop your commercial awareness

Podcasts are great! Whether you’re a law student, a non-law student or a successful lawyer, listening to podcasts is a fantastic way to stay up to date with the latest in the world of law and business.

Commercial awareness is a skill that all law firms want to see in their future trainees. Being able to show that you're commercially minded is essential for all aspiring lawyers and listening to the right podcasts is one way that you can start to develop your commercial understanding. For example, our COMMERCIAL CONNECT podcast breaks down trending commercial issues to boost aspiring lawyers’ commercial mindset, highlighting key talking points for those all-important training contract and vacation scheme interviews every month. 

Plus, commercial awareness isn’t something that you can pick up the night before an interview, so getting started early is crucial.

Check out more podcasts and influencers you should follow to boost your commercial awareness. You can also find LawCareers.Net’s list of 15 podcasts all law students should listen to – it includes LCN’s very own podcast, which features interviews with recruiters, students, trainees, partners and more, as well as our COMMERCIAL CONNECT series aimed to boost your commercial awareness!

4. Join your student law society and other extracurricular activities

Make the most of the opportunities on offer to you at university. Joining your university’s student law society is a must – not only will you meet other candidates who are embarking on the same journey as yourself, but you’ll also have the chance to attend networking events, firm presentations and much more.

It’s all well and good having fantastic academic grades, but an aspiring lawyer’s personality is also important to law firms. They want well-rounded trainees who have more to offer than just a first-class degree. As such, make sure you’re making time to continue to do the things you love, whether that’s playing for a competitive sports team, joining a music or drama society or perhaps even a book club. It’s important to then be able to talk about your extracurricular activities in your applications – for example, your role, the skills you’ve developed and how these skills will benefit you in the legal profession.

Pursuing a career in law doesn’t mean that you must put everything else in your life on hold. Law firms want the real you, so make sure that’s what you bring.

Read more about how aspiring lawyers can succeed with no legal work experience.

5. Sign up to LCN

Finally, LCN is your essential companion during your search for a training contract or pupillage. By signing up and creating a free MyLCN account, you’ll unlock a host of extra benefits to support you on your journey into the legal profession. Among other things, signing up will enable you to save a list of your favourite law firms or chambers, add important events or deadlines to your  LCN Calendar and save a list of vacancies that you’re interested in. On top of this, you’ll automatically receive our LCN Weekly email, which includes important news to ensure your commercial awareness remains up to date, careers advice, and interviews with solicitors, barristers and recruiters.

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